Wave rides 'Owl and the Sparrow'

Company to release its first film Friday in L.A.

Wave Releasing -- founded by Vietnamese American filmmakers Timothy Linh Bui, Stephane Gauger, Ham Tran and Wyn Tran -- will release its first film, Gauger's "Owl and the Sparrow," Friday in Los Angeles, Irvine and Westminster. Wave's focus is delivering entertainment for Vietnamese American audiences as well as mainstream indie moviegoers.

"We're at a crossroads point in indie filmmaking, and this was our way of helping to ensure that we're on the correct side as the paradigm shift occurs," Wave Releasing CEO Bui said. "Starting the company was our response (to the digital revolution) and a way for us to reclaim a strong film and storytelling legacy."

"Owl" was the Audience Award winner at the 2007 L.A. Film Festival. After its Southern California engagements, it will move on to San Francisco, Houston, Chicago and other cities.